The Last Bass Outpost

Main Forums => The Outpost Cafe => Topic started by: Dave W on January 18, 2014, 09:20:35 AM

Title: Eruption
Post by: Dave W on January 18, 2014, 09:20:35 AM
Read all about it (http://fb-troublemakers.com/rock-band-invites-11-year-old-guitarist-onstage-and-he-blows-everyone-away-37511/)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D79kxAaMf3I
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: westen44 on January 18, 2014, 09:45:35 AM
I know it's supposed to be about the little kid guitar genius.  But I can't listen to it without it reminding me of how much I dislike Van Halen's cover of "You Really Got Me."  David Lee Roth's "singing" just doesn't cut it for me. 
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Highlander on January 18, 2014, 11:56:53 AM
Was that a... pink... bass... :o ;D
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Basvarken on January 18, 2014, 02:11:12 PM
Well, the kid can do Eruption.
Note for note. That's impressive.

But the moment he is challenged to improvise he doesn't have a clue. He doesn't even know what key they're in...
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: westen44 on January 18, 2014, 02:16:51 PM
Well, the kid can do Eruption.
Note for note. That's impressive.

But the moment he is challenged to improvise he doesn't have a clue. He doesn't even know what key they're in...

He'll also most likely lack the creative talent to compose much of anything as the years progress.  I could be wrong, but I doubt it. 
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Dave W on January 18, 2014, 04:03:04 PM
I've never been a fan of Van Halen and especially not of their cover of "You Really Got Me." But the kid's skill is impressive, even if those are the only two songs he knows.

Improvisation is overrated IMHO. Knowing the structure is everything.
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: westen44 on January 18, 2014, 04:12:56 PM
I've never been a fan of Van Halen and especially not of their cover of "You Really Got Me." But the kid's skill is impressive, even if those are the only two songs he knows.

Improvisation is overrated IMHO. Knowing the structure is everything.

All I know is I'm terrible at improvisation.  I'm pretty good at making excuses why I'm not good at it, though.  
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Highlander on January 18, 2014, 04:22:15 PM
... He doesn't even know what key they're in...

The equivalent of "Monkey see, monkey do...?"

Impressive, but well and truly, er... ok, takes balls to get up on stage and do it... perhaps he should now learn the art of improvisation and not how to create an almost perfect replica of something created before he was born...
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Psycho Bass Guy on January 18, 2014, 05:42:38 PM
That fits for a Steel Panther show. Their schtick and the kid's are one and the same. I know they all can play, but if I want to hear the 80's, they made albums.
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: amptech on January 19, 2014, 04:46:19 AM
I've never been a fan of Van Halen and especially not of their cover of "You Really Got Me." But the kid's skill is impressive, even if those are the only two songs he knows.

Improvisation is overrated IMHO. Knowing the structure is everything.

Once you are familiar with the structure of a song, you have the basis for improvisation. How can improvisation be overrated?
If you can improvise, I´m not talking about shredding, but let´s say you are comfy enough to add your own flavor to the music you play,   it´s just a way to show that you take the music/song seriously enough to really check it out.

It´s cute when kids play something difficult, but the trend of being a youtube shredder that can play a short, complex piece of music really fast just stinks...
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: nofi on January 19, 2014, 09:21:15 AM
i guess no one here was a kid once. improvisation skills are always a good thing. in fact i can't imagine anyone who has played for years not being able to.
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Hörnisse on January 19, 2014, 10:25:27 AM
Some of my favorite guitar solos are improvised.  Eddie Van Halen did 2 takes on Michael Jackson's Beat It.  I think he nailed it.  Larry Carlton on Kid Charlemagne.  Steve Howe on Starship Trooper. 

I think kids should learn the basics first.  I've played in many bands where we'd audition a young gun guitar player who could shred but not hold down a basic rhythm. 
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: uwe on January 19, 2014, 01:44:16 PM
Whether a guitarist can come up with an unrehearsed off-the-cuff brilliant solo (often without realizing it) or not defines for me whether he is just good or adorable. I admire improvisation whether it is with Miles Davis, Hendrix, Blackmore or Mark Knopfler. It has little to do with technique (brilliant classical-trained musicians can't improvise for the hell of it - I've seen them freeze when you say "play a solo in A minor"), Neil Young hasn't won any guitarist contests, but he can improvise. That sense of abandonment ... Or that analytical ear of Miles Davis ... I'm nowhere in any of those leagues, of course, but I have sufficient vocabulary these days to get through most situations a bassist might have to face in a rock setting. But I think there is a reason I did not become a lead guitarist. But I love playing with good improvisers. It's a very large part of Deep Purple's charm for me, no other band of their fame and commercial impact had as much improvisation live (and not just from guitar, but also from organ and drums) as they did.
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: westen44 on January 19, 2014, 02:47:02 PM
My favorite improvisation was always what Cream did.  Although I still listen to Hendrix more than them, and maybe like him better, I do love listening to live Cream.  I realize some people don't and that's understandable.  Tom Hamilton told of seeing them in Boston when he was a teenager.  Although his favorite band, he said they took the jamming too far.  I think Hendrix did, too, though.  In his case, he also had a timekeeper in Noel Redding.  With Cream, sometimes it's like no one was really keeping time.  Still, I can listen to those live Cream performances over and over.  This is music I truly love. 
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: amptech on January 19, 2014, 03:02:06 PM
Neil Young hasn't won any guitarist contests, but he can improvise.

Just because he plays out of tune doesn´t mean he can improvise :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Highlander on January 19, 2014, 03:59:09 PM
I can assure you that he always plays the right notes, just not necessarily in the right order... ;D
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Denis on January 19, 2014, 06:53:27 PM
Here's Dweezil Zappa with some great memories of his dad, Eddie Van Halen and his performance of "Eruption". This was filmed in Raleigh and I saw this show. He really is a fantastic guitarist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzWi3dKis2c
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Dave W on January 19, 2014, 07:51:26 PM
Once you are familiar with the structure of a song, you have the basis for improvisation. How can improvisation be overrated?
If you can improvise, I´m not talking about shredding, but let´s say you are comfy enough to add your own flavor to the music you play,   it´s just a way to show that you take the music/song seriously enough to really check it out.

It´s cute when kids play something difficult, but the trend of being a youtube shredder that can play a short, complex piece of music really fast just stinks...

Depends on what you mean by improvisation. I like it when a player adds his own flavor to a song. I expect it, unless I'm listening to a tribute band. OTOH I dislike unrehearsed off-the-cuff wanking. Actually, dislike is too mild a word. IMHO it's not only overrated, it's usually obnoxious. Not that it bothers me, I never listen to anything like that if I can help it and certainly don't play anything like that. Still scarred from sitting through most of a dreadful Airplane show 44 years ago.

Playing something note-for-note is a skill in itself. Creative? No, but it doesn't pretend to be.

Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: westen44 on January 19, 2014, 09:45:52 PM
Depends on what you mean by improvisation. I like it when a player adds his own flavor to a song. I expect it, unless I'm listening to a tribute band. OTOH I dislike unrehearsed off-the-cuff wanking. Actually, dislike is too mild a word. IMHO it's not only overrated, it's usually obnoxious. Not that it bothers me, I never listen to anything like that if I can help it and certainly don't play anything like that. Still scarred from sitting through most of a dreadful Airplane show 44 years ago.

Playing something note-for-note is a skill in itself. Creative? No, but it doesn't pretend to be.



I tend to agree, with some exceptions, one which I've already mentioned, of course. 
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: nofi on January 20, 2014, 09:40:51 AM
i agree. live cream was much different than studio cream. after seeing cream's farewell tour in october 68', their studio records seem downright quaint by comparison. "those were the days".
Title: Re: Eruption
Post by: Highlander on January 20, 2014, 04:08:05 PM
Nice Dweezil posting... ;D